Air Force Brig. Gen. Wayne Monteith, commander of the 45th Space Wing and director of the Eastern Range, talks about SpaceX's two operational pads.

On June 15, 2016, a SpaceX Falcon 9 blasted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 40 with a pair of all-electric communications satellites owned by ABS and Eutelsat.(Photo: SpaceX)

SpaceX conducted a successful test fire of a Falcon 9 rocket at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Wednesday, breathing new life into a launch pad that had not seen smoke and fire since a 2016 explosion left it heavily damaged.

The brief checkout of the rocket's nine Merlin main engines at 3 p.m., known as a static test fire, paves the way for SpaceX to lift off from Launch Complex 40 at 11:46 a.m. next Tuesday with a Dragon spacecraft destined for the International Space Station.

SpaceX confirmed the successful test via Twitter, but also noted that teams will target early January for the previously delayed Zuma mission, which was scheduled to launch from Kennedy Space Center's pad 39A in November. Known only as a Northrop Grumman government payload, the launch was pushed back several times after teams discovered technical issues with the Falcon 9 rocket's nose cone. Zuma will now launch from Launch Complex 40.

The test firing and subsequent launch to the ISS next week will initiate SpaceX's era of two functioning launch pads at the Eastern Range, which encompasses KSC and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The company leases Launch Complex 40 from the Air Force and pad 39A from NASA.

Having two pads opens the door to an increased launch rate for the company – and the flexibility to launch its much-vaunted Falcon Heavy rocket as soon as early next year. Pad 39A is currently being modified to handle the specifications of the three-core, 27-engine rocket that is expected to fly with CEO Elon Musk's red 2009 Tesla Roadster as its test payload.

"It gives flexibility to SpaceX and our ability to support them by having access to both pads," Brig. Gen. Wayne Monteith, 45th Space Wing commander and director of the Eastern Range, told FLORIDA TODAY in November. He also noted that SpaceX could launch as rapidly as once a week if necessary.

Next week's Falcon 9 launch will deliver thousands of pounds of cargo, supplies and science experiments to the ISS under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services Contract, known as CRS-13. It will also mark the first time NASA uses a previously flown first stage.

Spectators can expect that booster to be the source of a thunderous sonic boom as it descends toward Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Landing Zone 1 shortly after mission liftoff.

Launch Complex 40 was heavily damaged in September 2016 when a Falcon 9 rocket exploded on the pad ahead of a static test fire. The attached payload, a satellite Facebook had intended to use to expand internet access in Africa, was also lost.

SpaceX has since upgraded the pad with steel and concrete casings designed to defend ground equipment in the event of another failure. Teams also moved some pad infrastructure underground.

Contact Emre Kelly at aekelly@floridatoday.com or 321-242-3715. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook at @EmreKelly.